Never use the following to wipe the printhead:
? Industrial paper towels (These cloths usually contain a high recycle content and are abrasive.)
? Toilet paper (These cloths are usually not fiberless.)
?Sponge (Particles from the sponge can be left behind on the nozzle plate.)
The cloth must be soft so that it does not scratch the printhead. It should be fiberless because small fibers from the cloth can be left behind and block the nozzles of the cartridge. The cloth must also be moist with liquid or it will scratch the printhead. Scratches on the printhead prevent the ink from coming out of the nozzle straight. If the ink drops do not come out of the nozzles straight they will not land on the paper in the proper place causing fuzzy text. Distilled water is better than tap water because tap water contains an unmonitored amount of minerals. During wiping the water cleans out the nozzles and the firing chambers. A small amount of water mixes with the ink in the chambers. Over time, the minerals in tap water can leave behind deposits in the chambers that block it completely. A blocked nozzle will show up as a white streak in text or graphics. The direction and force of the wipe is also important to note. During wiping, harmful particles on the top of the printhead can be wiped into the nozzles if one is not careful. Certain cartridges need to be wiped certain ways to obtain optimal print quality.
It is important to wipe the following cartridges in the direction of the nozzle rows (see Figure 2) for optimum print quality:
? HP51645A, HPC6104A
?HP51641A, HPC6105A
?HPC1823A, HPC6116A
?HPC6168A, HPC6169A, HPC6170A
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